Cheviot Cottages - self-catering in the Scottish Borders - already had a website, but it was beginning to show its age. Like many sites, it had grown over time and was no longer as easy to navigate as it could have been, as well as having that dated look - so "last-century"!

Websites have changed hugely over the last few years and people searching for holiday cottage accommodation now expect a site that will really sell the area and accommodation to them, with glorious pictures and text that speaks to the visitor. Effortless clear navigation and no barriers to contact are also a must.

Our copy-writing and photography skills were called into action for the new site. Bowmont House and Horseshoe Cottage (the 2 properties in the Cheviot Cottages 'stable') are easy to promote as they are absolutely gorgeous, but David's special photography has really hghlighted how lovely the interiors are, not always an easy task for a photographer.

We would thoroughly recommend Cheviot Cottages for a very special self-catering holiday break. Just take a look at the website and then try to hold yourself back from filling in the contact form...

To view the Cheviot Cottages site, please click here

StAnza - Scotland's Poetry Festival - attracts a sizeable festival audience every March to St Andrews, Scotland's oldest university town.

The existing website had done a good job of publicising the festival, but it was time for an upgrade. We were able to build a database which weaves together events and participants and provides the user with clear and concise information. Allied with the attractive visual message presented by David's design, the site visitor is under no doubt of the unique attractions of the remarkable StAnza festival.

Our contract includes maintenance of the site over the year, so that at every different stage of the festival the website will be up-to-date and give the visitor all the information they need about past, present and upcoming festivals.

To view the StAnza Poetry Festival site, please click here

Another of our rapidly expanding stable of High School sites!

The Berwickshire High School is entering an exciting phase with the move in 2008 to a purpose-built brand-new school. We worked with the project team to create a real showcase of a website. In particular, David's superb photographs really lift the site into something special.

Among its useful features are content-managed sections so that admin staff can keep the news and calendar pages right up to date. Adding the Daily Bulletin, for example, is a matter of moments.

To view the Berwickshire High School site, please click here

Our original Music Support site is now being managed by the National Association of Music Educators and as a result required a complete design make-over to fit with the colours of the new logo.

The new-look Subject Resource Network for Music site uses warm colours for a completely different feel. The addition of Flash-based rotating images to the home page presents very clearly the diverse range of musical interests and needs catered for by the site.

This new phase of the project also requires us to incorporate streaming video and a podcasting uploader amongst other updates to the site.

To view the Subject Resource Network for Music site, please click here

Billy O'Neill is a man with a mission - to place the theory and methodology of Professor Reuven Feuerstein at the centre of Scottish education, transforming passive and dependent learners, of all ages, into more active self-motivated students.

The courses offered by his Feuerstein Training Centre are much in demand and Billy came to us knowing that the right website would help his clients to find out more about the Feuerstein philosophy and about which courses would suit them.

The smart and professional 'look and feel' that Billy was after was only the start of the design process. We also advised Billy on the best way to present his content so that the needs of the site user were at the heart of all the design decisions. The result is a site that effortlessly guides the visitor to where they want to be - sometimes the most elegant sites are the ones that require the most thought!

"Thanks again for a very professional job. I love the way you have divided up all the information so that it allows the reader to get precise information quickly and easily."

To view the Feuerstein Training Centre site, please click here

Another emerging talent in the art world, Francis Glancy has already established himself as a professional artist with shows in London and Scotland and a number of awards to his name.

His increasing profile means that he needs a web presence to show off his stunning paintings of figures and interiors, as well as to inform his many fans about future exhibitions and allow them to sign up to his mailing list.

We were delighted to be asked by Francis to develop his design brief into a smart and subtle website, which complements beautifully the dramatic palette of his work. We look forward greatly to following what will no doubt be a stellar career.

To view the Francis Glancy site, please click here

Two local Scottish Folk Music sites, but two very different designs, reflecting perfectly our strongest design principle - every site is unique.

The Borders Fiddle Group needed a new site to keep members in touch with each other between weekly sessions, to share fiddle tunes, and to publicise the group to gain more members.

The Clarty Cloot Ceilidh Band already had a web presence, but the old site required an urgent update to reflect their increasing popularity as a leading dance band in the Scottish Borders and beyond.

Both sites have integrated blogs and photo galleries which are easily edited by group members, allowing the freedom to add/change content without the costs of a full content management system.

To view the Borders Fiddle Group site, please click here

To view the Clarty Cloot Ceilidh Band site, please click here

The St Martin's Festival is a dedicated festival of the arts with the community of Lancaster and surrounding areas of North West England at its heart.

Unlike other arts events, St Martin's Festival does not stop with an annual artistic showcase. It also encourages creative submissions (in dance, music, story, art or drama) from all ages, based on each year's festival theme - becoming as a result a truly "all year" festival.

The new website had to ensure that equal prominence was given to both the annual event and the creative submission sides of the festival. Our clever design solution used a 3-column layout that is as unique as the Festival itself. Impossible to explain in a few words, but intuitive and innovative - have a look for yourself.

Festival now finished so site no longer available

A BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2002 and 2003 Finalist, Lori Watson is a leading traditional musician of her generation. Her singing and fiddle playing are stunning, whether playing solo or with the Lori Watson Three, so it was a big thrill when she asked us to create her web presence for her.

Lori knew she wanted a distinctive look for her site with strong design elements that would reflect her personality. We incorporated her own sketches as menu buttons and pulled the design together with dramatic colour choice and high quality images.

Try to catch Lori or the Lori Watson Three if you possibly can. Click here to see her list of gigs and workshops.

To view the Lori Watson site, please click here

Anna King graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone Art College in 2005 and is rapidly making a name for herself and collecting awards for her evocative landscape paintings of wastelands and forgotten spaces.

The design for Anna's website had to be clear and neutral, reflecting the sense of space and light that Anna achieves in her paintings and providing a simple backdrop to showcase her work.

If you want to know where you can see Anna's paintings, check the web site for all her upcoming exhibitions. You can also sign up to receive email updates.

To view the Anna King site, please click here

Galashiels Academy had a website based on frames that they were anxious to update. We were able to construct a new site using Dreamweaver templates, so that the school could take over the updating and maintenance for the future.

The result is a bright clean design full of attractive images which presents a picture of a vibrant school.

To view the Galashiels Academy site, please click here

Many genealogy sites are an impenetrable list of names and dates, so when it came to my own family site I was determined to come up with something more readable and accessible.

Sepia browns complement the photographs and documents which illustrate the text, and the complex family tree structure is presented on a single page with pop-up biographies for every family member. Another section takes the reader throught the chronological "stories" of each generation.

To view the Currie Family site, please click here

When the SMART Music Project team were selected by the Teacher Training Agency to create a support site for the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Music Community, they knew our web design business had the education background they required.

Our challenge was to present a huge amount of material and a complicated structure in as clear and transparent a way as possible, as well as create an attractive and welcoming place where ITE music colleagues could feel at home and wish to return. In addition, SMART required strong project branding graphic elements which could be used in publicity material.

The SMART site is still very much 'work-in-progress' as regards content, but the structure and design components are now all in place. In addition, work is continuing on elements which allow site visitors to network with each other, for example the 'Share a Resource' and 'Help Desk' facilities.

The site was officially launched at the SMART Music Project conference in Lancaster on 20 May 2005 - and it appears that we are well on the way to achieving our goals, judging by the feedback from delegates!

"The SMART Music website has potential to be an important source of information and support for music educators... well designed... I'll definitely be using it...excellent SMART website... the SMART music project website looks very promising..."

To view the SMART Music Project site, please click here

Travel and Tourism Publishing came to us with an exciting new project - the launch of a brand new Travel and Tourism Education Publishing company.

We worked closely with them to create an e-commerce site that would present the catalogue of books attractively and clearly, incorporate affiliate shopping and allow on-line inspection copy orders as well as secure and simple on-line purchase of the company's own titles.

In addition, Travel and Tourism Publishing wished to produce a companion site of resource materials which would be available to purchasers of their own published titles.

This password-protected companion site - tandtONline - has also been launched and is rapidly becoming the 'must-visit' resource site for those in travel and tourism education.

"Thanks to everybody at Sojo for the great job you have done on the website. The design is excellent and the shopping cart works just as it should. Incorporating the travel and tourism resource site into the main site was always going to be a challenge, but you have done an excellent job there as well. Your advice and suggestions throughout the project have been spot on and your friendly approach has helped a lot."

To view the Travel and Tourism Publishing site, please click here

To view the tandtONline site, please click here

A group of talented young Scottish artists held their first post-graduate exhibition in Glasgow at the Templeton Carpet Factory in July 2005.

We were able to use the original design concept by artist Steven Cairns to make a website that would showcase the event and their work.

Although the event is now finished, the site has been kept on to give people a chance to view the work and contact the artists involved.

To view the Dundee Alternative Degree Show site, please click here

We were delighted when we were asked to produce a website for Turret House Kelso (a self-catering holiday cottage in the Scottish Borders), because it is such a wonderful property - the oldest house in Kelso and full of charm and period features, including a spiral stone staircase! Our design had to reflect the sheer style and history of the place, while still presenting lots of information about the Turret House and its surroundings to attract potential holiday-makers.

To view the Turret House site, please click here

Kelso High School were outgrowing their 6-year old site, which had lost its original coherence as more and more content was added. In addition, the school had purchased Dreamweaver MX and wished to use this to author the new site. We were called in to create a new design which not only presents all the old content in a clear and attractive way but also incorporates an easy-to-use template by which staff can add new pages and their own resources.

"A well-designed school site that is packed full of useful information for parents, staff and pupils."
LT Scotland school website of the month, October 2004

To view the new Kelso High School site, please click here

Earlston High School wanted a 'traditional-look' site which would present a picture of a vibrant school through its use of high quality photographic images. Our design also addresses accessibility and allows individual departments to customise and add to their section of the site. To this end, we are training interested staff members in web authoring using Dreamweaver MX 2004 .

To view the new Earlston High School site, please click here

Our design brief was to produce a bright, attractive site which gives St Martin's Pre-School Centre its first web presence and also presents the 'Sounds Fun' music project, funded by the National Foundation for Youth Music

Note that we have now re-branded this site to reflect its new name "University of Cumbria Pre-School Centre".

To view the University of Cumbria Pre-School Centre site, please click here

MBO UK, leaders in soldering technology, came to us to improve their web presence and showcase their high-quality soldering materials and accessories.

We also host and maintain this site.

To view the MBO UK site, please click here